The Emperor and the Nightingale
by Hebi-Kazechi-10
Summary: And on the very top of it, he could see a bird. A bird with feathers that were dappled with olive green and plain brown. Its feet settled on the branch, turning its head, he was met by a pair of beautiful grass green eyes that blinked at him curiously before opening its beak. Ancient!Fantasy!AU. Pairing: SeiMako/Seikoto. More pairings included later on. Rated T for now.
1. Prologue: Ascension of Blight

**Hey guys! It's been a while, I know, but I've been struck with inspiration lately. XD **

**I haven't written SeiMako in a while, but after certain things inspiring me, I've been wanting to try and write this multi-chaptered story. It's not my typical setting, but I was just so heavily inspired, that I couldn't help it! XD anyway just a warning: it's an AU that's not quite common - if anyone's played a game called Dynasty Warriors or Warriors Orochi, then that's the type of AU you're looking at: a sort of feudal fantasy Asia.**

**Warning: **Fantasy and Feudal AU; rare pairings [most obvious one is SeiMako]

**Inspiration/s:**  
- The Emperor and the Nightingale by Hans Christran Andersen  
- "Nightingale" by Yanni  
- Warriors Orochi/Dynasty Warriors  
- The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

**Hope you enjoy~ **

* * *

"How is he, doctor?" the silver-haired youth asked anxiously. His pale blue eyes were glimmering with concern.

"Brother…" the auburn-haired girl piped up. The sleeves of her kimono were drooping over her little hands as she asked as politely as she could. "Can I see him, please? Can I see big brother?"

The old man sadly shook his head as he solemnly looked down at the two youngsters that were anxiously waiting outside of the regal room. He had silently closed the great scarlet doors behind him so as to maintain the quiet atmosphere that was inside the room he left. "I apologize, young princess, but your brother is still quite ill." Catching the grey-haired youth's baby blues, the warning look on his face told him that there was more to be added to the description.

So for that, the young man nodded, "I-I see. Miss Mei, would you like to go and see the palace cook? I'm sure that he's eager to have you visit him."

The little girl looked highly unsure and rather unconvinced from what the older boy said, but she gave a reluctant nod before walking away – one of the hand-servants accompanying her upon seeing the grey-haired boy's nod.

Once they both left out of earshot and were well out of sight, he turned to the old doctor. "The young princess is no longer here, so…" licking his lips, he questioned nervously, "How is the Emperor, doctor? Is he really-"

The man nodded solemnly; his grey, bushy brows furrowed down to a hardened scowl, "He's still gravely ill, Nitori. And I'm afraid…his condition isn't improving at all. Not in the slightest."

The young man, Nitori, deflated upon the news reaching his ears. Biting his bottom lip, he shook his head, "B-but…this doesn't even make sense! His imperial Majesty was never this sick before! And he was in perfect health before all of this, too! He was perfectly healthy! H-how…how could he have become this ill and so quickly, too?"

The doctor's eyes flashed with sympathy, "It is a complete mystery even to me. But what is most certain right now is that His Highness is struck with a rather fatal illness to the point that he cannot leave his own bed. Every breath is haggard and ragged, his head is heavily perspired, and he is becoming paler and paler as the days continue on. His brow is also scrunched in severe pain…I truly have never seen an illness quite like this before myself."

"What else is wrong with him, doctor?" Nitori questioned imploringly. "Please, tell me."

"I understand that you are his scribe and Lord Chamberlain, Nitori," the elderly medic said in a tone too calm for the youth's liking. "But you must know that the details of a patient's condition are reserved only for the knowledge of the patient's family members. In this case, only the royal family has the right to know what is happening to the Emperor. Most certainly, we cannot allow word to spread quickly about how serious His Highness' illness is."

"B-but…" Nitori shuffled in his spot restlessly before he bowed his head down low. "You and I know perfectly well that the Emperor took to the throne just two years ago upon his father's death. And the Queen as well as the Emperor's older sister have gone overseas to a neighbouring land, too."

"Indeed," the doctor agreed with a curt nod. "I am still genuinely amazed at everything he's done thus far. It is not easy to continue from the death of a parent. Much more pressure is added especially due to the fact that that very parent has left behind a whole legacy that must be carried out, continued on and thrived right on his shoulders. Yet still, our young Emperor has managed to do everything well in all due time in such an efficient manner. At the age of eighteen and with the eyes of a hawk, too!"

"He manages everything here with a fine-toothed comb mostly by himself: the palace, the village, the people…" Nitori said sorrowfully. "Simply because it's the responsibility of the Emperor, he told me once. _All_ of the people in the village are frantic and worry for him, too. What will the Queen and Miss Jun say when they both come back to all of this?" looking up to see that the doctor seemed very silent on the matter, the blue-eyed boy added, "Hopefully he'll be better by the time that happens. His Majesty _should _be back to perfect health, right, doctor?"

However, seeing the man's eyes narrow and his bushy moustache droop slightly, Nitori almost faltered back. However, the old medic responded quietly, "Yes. Hopefully it'll pass with time and with proper rest and medication." Since the boy with him now looked totally disheartened from his tone and far less than good news, the doctor spoke up, "Come now, Nitori. You told the young princess to go see the palace cook, am I correct? Maybe we should check on her and possibly have some green tea ourselves to soothe our restless minds. We can only pray for the Emperor's condition to improve until a proper medicine can be found or he just gets out of it."

Nitori nodded, "Yeah…that sounds nice." Feeling a hand go on his shoulder and gently lead him away, the silver-haired youth couldn't help but give one last glance at the large doors that led to the room of his ruler.

'_I hope that his Majesty will be alright…'_

* * *

If one were to come into the Emperor's chambers, one would first be in awe of the sheer grandeur. The whole room seemed painted with various shades of red – the walls consisted also of panels that told of what appeared to be many stories with neatly crafted calligraphy written on the sides of it and elegantly poised people with long arms and craning necks. The floor was spotless with a crimson rug that had embroidered tigers of golden silk embedded in it from a finely crafted hand. The ceiling consisted of what appeared to be a great phoenix stretching out its mighty wings as well as accompanied with what appeared to be a mighty dragon – its great claws holding a ball and its gaping jaws open as it seemed to be twisting its elongated body.

A folding screen however separated the very back of the room where the bed lay, with the door – so that only silhouettes were viewable among the dim sunlight and if the candle was lit nearby. A table consisted of what appeared to be an assortment of scrolls, and beside it lay a calligraphy brush whose elegant tip appeared to not have met with black ink for a while.

The bed itself was massive – huge enough to fit possibly three people. The sheets were scarlet with intricately designed patterns consisting of fans weaving around its surface. There were a couple of cushions consisting of a variety of colours as well, however most of them were noticeably in complete disarray as the person who lay inside the bed panted harshly before giving a loud cough.

Rolling over in his bed, the young man who lay there was on his back, eyes squeezed shut as a drop of sweat trickled down the side of his head down to his chin. Gasping for breath, he swallowed every sweet intake of air as his heart constricted painfully: it felt as if bony fingers had inched right onto it and began stretching and pulling it mercilessly to see if it would form into a variety of shapes like what clay does. That saying so, even swallowing soon became difficult – a large lump gathered in his thick neck, and though every dose of air that entered his body was sweet, a snap of pain would blossom soon after as he felt more and more sore from his throat.

Giving a hacking cough, he quickly covered at his mouth with a tightened fist before hunching his muscular figure over into a tight ball. His body was heaving and wracking into a coughing fit as he tried to calm his body down. However, his own being didn't seem keen on relenting any time soon. His orange red tresses were drooping down wearily with his own body and parts of it were slicked with sweat. When his eyes began to squint, even he noticed that his once bronze skin had suddenly become a shade or two paler than how it normally was.

Once the fit had finally settled down, that was when his chest tightened even more – worse than ever; as if the swords of an entire army had stabbed right through the flesh. As a result, his body carefully unravelled itself as he this time lay sprawled out in his bed while continuing to drink in the air through his nose and mouth.

Panting exhaustedly again, needles pricked at his joints and his back was becoming stiff all due to fatigue and not exiting out of his bed for quite a while. But picking himself up seemed to be a difficult feat itself as his legs seemed to refuse to work for some frighteningly peculiar reason he couldn't think of a logical explanation for. More sweat simply flowed down the sides of his head as this time the pain decided to pierce at his head – almost breaking through his skull to reach the softer tissue that lay underneath. The pain was enough for him to grit and gnash his teeth as well as stiffen his broad shoulders.

Shakily, he felt around to obtain the water that was just beside him on the little wooden table.

When the cool liquid slid down his aching throat, his whole being seemed to calm down a bit more. Though he still coughed and felt his chest continue to throb as well as his cheeks heating up, the pain that was attacking his head was slowly subsiding down to nothing. Also, the pain wasn't as highly unbearable as it was before – he was able to sit up for a bit and finally crack open an eye before having his other one slowly join it.

Orbs of hollow, listless gold glass simply gazed down at the silken sheets for a good while in contemplation before he carefully tilted his head up to peer at the window that was right close to his side. The window was wide open – giving him a beautiful view of the thick forest that led to the mighty mountaintops that were so high, that their very tips disappeared through the clouds. He could also see parts of the palace from here, and there was a small, shimmering pond.

That was when he heard chirping.

Giving a sudden jolt in his spot, his head immediately snapped over to where the source of the sound was as he frantically began looking around. Finding it, his golden eyes rested on what appeared to be just a pheasant. Its plumage as golden as his eyes, and the bright colours honestly beginning to blind him.

His whole figure deflated upon seeing that, and for that, his once expectant expression boiled down to a look of melancholy and disappointment before his eyes fixed down onto his hands. His large, callous palms were starting to quiver and tremble as if he were in the middle of the coldest and harshest blizzard.

It was very strange how his body seemed to move by itself now.

He surveyed the golden pheasant a bit more as it chirped and preened at its feathers flamboyantly before deciding to take off and fly into the forest. For that, his eyes followed it dully as his stare stopped onto the great treetops. Eventually the bird was out of sight once it disappeared into the leaves. He wasn't sure for how long he was staring at the forest for, but what was certain was that by the time he had had enough, night had already descended upon the land. The moon was out glowing its soothing, radiant rays down on him as the diamond stars twinkled on a sheet of black.

Lying back on the bed, he shut his eyes as his great chest heaved up and down before he grasped at his heart again.

Hearing the doors open, a soft and familiar voice called timidly, "Your Majesty, it's me…" the footsteps that followed became louder and practically throbbed achingly in his head as they stopped at his bedside. "I brought you your dinner. It's soup. _Shiitake dashi_ to be precise. The doctor recommended that you take it."

He wanted to express his thanks to the speaker, really, however when he tried to open his mouth a little wider, a few harsh coughs ended up escaping. His own voice seemed to have disappeared.

A small sigh reached his ears before the sound of china settling down on the wooden table came next. Then, hearing something scratch as well as a slight hiss, he knew that from how the room was becoming dimly lit, that a candle was ignited. The footsteps came back, but this time, they grew quieter and quieter as they reached the doors to his bedroom. The voice also said quietly, "I hope you get well soon, your Imperial Majesty…really, I do…"

And finally, the doors creaked to an echoing shut.

Everyone was worried about him, that he most certainly knew. However his whole body was subjected to this accursed illness of unknown origin. Even the doctor wasn't so sure with what he was struck with. He could hear them whispering outside about his condition, but when he tried to strain his ears, he could only hear unintelligible garble, though he rationalized that it was probably his own head spinning that caused him to hear and think that way.

Was he going to die? Was this illness going to claim his life? Will he die young? Though usually a person who was brimming with optimism and who typically looked at the brighter side of life rather than focus on the negative, even he himself wasn't so sure anymore…

He just hoped that he could get some sleep soon so the pain would momentarily leave him as he entered his dreams. That was the only source of comfort he could find nowadays.

Once he tried to relax his body and sleep took mercy on his sickly being, he found himself no longer lying on his bed anymore in his robes. Instead, he found himself in the Imperial garden amongst all the softly colourful flowers and the several ponds. Dressed in a golden _yukata _adorned with patterns that consisted of leaping koi and thriving lilies, a sense of tranquility settled upon his being. Stepping on one of the small bridges that flowed over some of the larger bodies of water, he came to a stop underneath a tree with thick branches and mottled leaves.

And on the very top of it, he could see a bird.

A bird with feathers that were dappled with olive green and plain brown. Its feet settled on the branch, turning its head, he was met by a pair of beautiful grass green eyes that blinked at him curiously before opening its beak.

And that was when a beautiful chirp of greeting reached his ears along with a gentle male voice greeting him hello.

For that, the Emperor couldn't help but give a big, bright grin at the bird perched there. "Nightingale, what do you have to sing this time?" he asked as he placed a hand on the tree's massive trunk.

The nightingale suddenly dipped his head close to one of his wings; if he were human, the redheaded Emperor was certain that the bird would be blushing by now. "Oh, I cannot really think of something, your Majesty," he tweeted back sadly, causing the Emperor to frown at the tone. "I tried, though. I really did."

However, the young man simply gave a good-natured laugh after hearing the bird twitter, "Why apologize for that? It's nothing to apologize about, really. I don't care if it's new; I just like hearing you sing." Fixing his position so he stood right underneath the branch the bird was in, he stretched his head back so he was looking right from underneath, "And there's no need for you to be so formal around me! You know I don't like that. Just call me Seijuurou."

The bird seemed even more sheepish than before. His head curled a bit more closely to his wing before giving a small nod, "A-ah, yes, okay. Very well then, Emperor Seijuurou."

Seijuurou inwardly sighed at how he was being addressed, but either way, he watched closely and eagerly as he strained his ears upon seeing the nightingale's beak stretch open…

…but as soon as that happened, a rooster's crow was replaced.

And soon enough, the pain slammed right down on his body again – though it grew tenfold.

His lips now dry, the young Emperor slowly cracked his eyes open before gazing miserably up at the ceiling – particularly at the phoenix that was raising its elegant neck. Turning his head slowly as his mouth began to open from his pained panting picking up, he could see that the sun was slowly moving up from its spot at the horizon – signalling that it was a new day.

A new day for him to feel the pain entangle him in its cruel grip.

'_Damn…'_ he thought to himself as his eyes fluttered to a shut. He decided that more sleep sounded like a brilliant idea – after all, if it was sleep that took away the pain, then sleep sounded the best.

Besides, he wasn't able to hear the nightingale sing yet, and that was the best part every single time he slept and entered the surreal land of dreams.

'_I miss hearing you. I wonder if I'll be able to hear you again.'_

Luckily, sleep came faster this time; granting him mercy again from what his body was undergoing at the moment.

* * *

**Some magic will be involved, however that'll come later. The next chapters will be more of a throwback to the past on how Emperor Seijuurou met the nightingale in the first place. I feel bad for making him really sick, though. :(**

**Jun is from milkcustard's SeiMako/Seikoto fic **Live a Little**. ****I like the idea of Seijuurou being surrounded by strong and somewhat empowering women in his family. He officially has a younger sister since in one of the Samezuka Drama CD's he tells Rin that he's been taking "_the little sister"_ to the movies, and it's revealed that it's his own little sister. However, I've been seeing the name Mei pop up a couple of times, so I'm using that. XD**

**Anyway, yes this will actually be my first Free! multi-chapter story. Not sure _how _long it will be, but we'll see, shall we? ;)  
**

**Peace out!  
- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	2. Chapter 1: The Chase at Dawn

**Heya! Here with the first chapter since the one before was technically the prologue! X3**

**Anyway, thank you so much to those who faved and followed this story! 8D that means so much to me, really. :)**

valeforwings: **Not just you, I get a HUGE smile when I see you update _Always_. 8D anyway, thank you so much for the review, and I hope I won't disappoint you with this fic! :)**

**Either way, we leap back a bit, and we get some insight on what happened first. However, that will be built up by a few chapters, first because if I wrote it all in one go, it'd end up being around 20-30 pages on my Word Document. XD**

**So for now, why don't we have a start with our young, redheaded Emperor? ;3**

**Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

Despite the sun just _barely _starting to rise above the horizon to signify that dawn was fast approaching, one would be surprised to see, if they were to come outside close to the forest outside of the village, a bunch of men were on horses.

The young Emperor Seijuurou being one of those men.

Clad in a forest green _hitatare_ along with wooden _geta_, he was right at the front. He and his horse stood, both raising their heads high while overlooking the green lands. The sun just beginning to touch on every inch and corner as it rose higher and higher into the sky. A few low whinnies and snorts were heard from the restless horses that were right behind the head one, and Emperor Seijuurou simply peered carefully – his golden eyes narrowed to slits.

Hearing a slight snort of impatience come from his own steed, Seijuurou simply stroked at its dark-haired mane; his long, tanned fingers slightly brushing through the strands. The black horse simply gave another snort, though this one wasn't from impatience, but more from fondness.

Behind him, he could hear low murmuring from the other men on their horses. "I don't get it, what are we waiting for?" a voice murmured in question.

"For His Majesty's command," another muttered briskly.

"But what _are _we even waiting for? Can't we just go and ride out already?" the first voice grumbled.

The second one sounded affronted, "How dare you questions His royal Highness!"

Seijuurou chose to speak up before the bickering could start, "It's coming soon…get ready…" upon the words leaving his mouth, the men behind him were in position following suit; clenching onto the reins while lowering their heads.

For a moment, the noise quietened down to only that of the ones produced by nature herself. A slow, cool breeze picked up and tickled the back of Seijuurou's neck, and it flew through the blades of grass as it whistled softly. A few chirps were heard from some birds that were either in the sky, or hidden from plain view. Some low snorts were heard from the horses themselves.

Then all of a sudden, a rooster's crow was heard echoing throughout the village and the lands – signalling the time of day.

Along with the sharp snack of a stick or two breaking.

And before an observer to the event knew what was happening, they would've heard the young Emperor give a loud war cry before suddenly his horse shot forth in break-neck speed. A flash of black and orange red would be what one would see as the horse gave a loud whinny and galloped straight forward – its powerful legs rushing in a swift pace. The men themselves followed suit, though some of them _did _seem confused as well.

That was when a shot of white sped out from the shadows as its own legs, small but powerful, made quick work to avoid the ongoing pursuers.

Seijuurou lowered his large body as he kept his eyes on the prize. He didn't unsheathe his sword and when the flash of white crawled under a log, it sped into the forest. The Emperor worried not, though – he was confident that his horse could make the jump.

It did.

With a firm bray, the black horse flared its nostrils as it continued to gallop through the sudden onslaught of trees: dark eyes also focused onto the target. Seijuurou began to feel the adrenaline rush from his steed flow into his own veins as his heart pounded in excitement right in his great chest. The wind was rushing past his face as the target came closer and closer into sight and his reach.

So for that, he leaned his body down more with his muscular arm stretched out – his large hand ready to grab onto it.

But that was when his fingers _just _brushed against short, white fur, the prize disappeared through a log that connected to the other side of a river and past a bunch of thick and prickly bushes.

Shocked, the horse gave a surprised whinny as it reared up on its hind legs before shaking its head. Seijuurou gave a startled yell himself as he almost fell off from the saddle. However, quickly taking in the reins, he prompted his horse to settle down on all fours before petting its head soothingly and murmuring sweet nothings to calm it down.

Once the steed regained its composure, Seijuurou dismounted and went on foot himself – running on the log and removing a dagger from its sheath in his obi. Slashing through the bushes, he pumped the energy down to his legs as he kept his body low so as not to smash his head against a tree since he was already of a great height.

That was when he saw it come into view again.

He smirked to himself, _'Ha! There you are!'_

The white prize however immediately sensed his presence and for that, bound away just as he closed in. Going through more thick bushes of prickly thorns and past an array of erratically scattered trees that loomed over the both of them. Seijuurou skidded underneath a few branches, leapt over a couple of logs, and sidestepped several times so as to avoid any other branches that were in his path. Feeling the sweat trickling down the sides of his tanned face, however it caused him to be even more determined as he forced his body to run faster and faster to try and keep up with the target in his sights. His heart was thumping even more excitedly in his chest as he slashed some more at some bushes in his path if he couldn't just leap over them.

For a moment, the redheaded Emperor was engaged in a battle of wits, speed and stamina as he continued to pursue the white target in his attempt of capturing it. Though his body was starting to ache – the muscles in his legs in particular were starting to throb sorely – he still continued on, even more determined to not throw in the white flag.

Not until he caught what he was here for.

He was just so close, too. However, it seemed the white thing itself was becoming tired due to its once fast speed slowing down as it began to move a bit slower and slower until eventually stopping to rest close by a stream.

That was the chance Seijuurou waited for.

Giving a great leap up by using a log as a spring, he burst forth in a sea of green and red as he kicked his foot off of the massive trunks of several of the large trees. He gave a loud, triumphant yell, "Gotcha!" before rolling slightly forward in a ball and landing in the stream himself.

Seijuurou gave a good-natured bout of bark-like laughter as he looked down in his muscular arms to grin down at his prize. "You're pretty fast, you know that?" he tickled at the white rabbit's head as it tried to struggle in his grip a bit. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you." Stroking at its head a bit more, the little, creature began to calm down as its nose twitched. "That was an awesome chase."

Looking up, he then realized that there was nobody else there; his men were somewhere far behind, lost or probably still looking around and searching for him.

It was just him and the rabbit.

"Well, crap…" he heaved a sigh before slowly getting up to his feet with the rabbit still in his arms. "Well…I should be used to it by now – this _always _happens."

Turning his head to look forward, he stopped in his tracks and the rabbit stopped moving a bit once he caught sight of what lay before the both of them.

It was still forest, however unlike the shades of thriving green, as well as the welcoming aroma of flowers and the plants as well as the sound of birds' happy chirping, this entry way to a different part of the forest was far different.

The trees were still tall and lumbering, but a lot of the branches were bare from their leaf dressing with the branches seemingly entwined among one another. The ground seemed more cracked in that area, and paler – signalling infertility. There was also what appeared to be some sort of mysterious fog that picked up from inside there as shadows painted all around it.

Seijuurou blinked as he gazed forward, "Wonder what lies in there…"

He was fully aware that this was a forbidden part of the kingdom – he remembered very well from a young age that his father absolutely _prohibited _access to that place for anyone and everyone of the kingdom. When asked about it when he was a little boy, Seijuurou's old man would respond very darkly, "It is filled with dark magic. And there are things in that part of the forest that you simply _cannot _comprehend. Do not _ever _go there under any circumstances."

It was best to head back now since he came with what he was looking for.

Still…there was something about that place that intrigued Seijuurou – he listened obediently and never came outside to this part of the forest. But since the rabbit had just so happened to run close to it, he couldn't help but feel curious upon continuously gazing across from it, and being just a few steps close.

Just what _was _in there?

"Your Majesty!"

Seijuurou blinked in shock as he shook his head frantically. His mind suddenly became clearer again as he turned to gaze at one of his men. The soldier looked at him worriedly, "Are you alright, your Imperial Highness?"

The redhead simply grinned widely, "Yeah, I'm fine! Look, I caught our prize!" he gestured at the white rabbit in his arms with his head.

This seemed to impress the man, as he bowed his head, "Excellent work, your Majesty! Now, what do you intend to do with it?"

"Let it go, of course."

"Excuse me?"

Seijuurou bent down to his haunches as he leaned forward, "It's just training, really. You know – trying to test ourselves out after all the training back home. " He stretched out his arms before smiling again, "There you go, little guy."

Once the rabbit made contact with the ground, it sprang forth again – however, it made sure to avoid the darkened part of the forest. it disappeared behind a bunch of green bushes.

"Wow," marveled the golden-eyed Emperor. "Even the animals don't like it at that part of the forest."

"I wouldn't blame them," the soldier said as he gazed with narrowed eyes. "That place is bad news, your Highness."

"What's so bad about it?" questioned Seijuurou as the both of them began to head back towards the other men who were waiting. "I've only been told that it's a bad place to go into, but what exactly _is _in there?"

"Demon magic."

Seijuurou arched an eyebrow, "Demon magic?"

"There are some bad _youkai _who make their home in there, sire," replied the soldier. "Most bewitch an unsuspecting soul to enter there – bewitching with treasure, their own body, maybe even a wish…either way, once one enters there, they _cannot ever _go back."

"Huh…you don't say," Seijuurou murmured, intrigued as he rubbed his chin. "What happens to someone in there?"

The soldier shrugged, "Who can say? Those who enter don't ever come out to live and tell the tale. However, there are a lot of speculations to that. Some say that you just wander around forever until you either starve to death or have something come and finish you off. Others say that you live in a hallucinatory state: happy in your own little world or breaking down in a living nightmare - either way, you'll eventually go mad. Meanwhile, there are some who say that you are kept as a sort of slave or prisoner by some of the _youkai_. Then, there are others who just flat out say that you get flat out eaten."

Seijuurou raised both his eyebrows, "Wow…so either way, you're pretty much screwed if you decide to go in there, huh?"

"That is quite so, Your Majesty," the soldier replied, though he seemed a bit sheepish in regards of how casually the young Emperor was speaking to him. "That is very much quite so."

"I wonder if it's really that bad," the redhead ruler mused to himself. "What if it's _not _that bad?"

"You cannot _possibly _imply that your life is worth the risk of going in there, Your Highness!" protested the soldier now looking absolutely horrified. "Surely!" However, upon hearing Seijuurou guffaw heartily, the man immediately calmed down, "Your Majesty…"

"Don't worry!" grinned Seijuurou. "I'm not thinking of going in there. Definitely not – you put up a really valid point. Is such a feat really worth gambling your life over? The answer to that question may not ever be answered. Would I have any intentions of gambling my life for just a stubborn point to be made? Of course not! Not only is it foolish, but it's also irresponsible – because what if the bad things _are _true? Or the things in there are even worse? It is also quite selfish since I would be leaving behind not only my family, but my people, too!"

"Y-yes! Quite so, your Imperial Highness," stammered out the soldier. It was rather intriguing seeing the Emperor suddenly shift demeanours from a laidback, easy-going youngster with a rather casual manner of speech and informal way of speaking, to the more regal and knowledgeable ruler that one expected him to be in only a matter of seconds.

By the time they returned to the rest of the men that were waiting expectedly for them, another soldier spoke up, "Your Majesty, where were you two?"

Seijuurou flashed a thumbs-up, "I caught the rabbit!"

"Really? With your bare hands?"

"Yep!" the redhead stretched his arm and flexed it a little to loosen the slightly tight muscles before responding. "Little guy put up a great chase. Caught him off guard in the end, though. Still one hell of a run and he almost got away, too!"

Starting to return back to the palace, some of the soldiers were muttering amongst themselves as they watched the young Emperor swing easily up onto the black horse before whistling a merry tune to himself as the dark-haired steed trotted along. They seemed more in awe with his feat; after all, it wasn't that easy to capture a wild rabbit that was in good health. Even the fittest of generals would have a problem.

"So, what did you do with the rabbit, your Highness?" questioned one of the soldiers. "What happened to it?"

"I let it go," Seijuurou answered back simply. "What else would I have done with it?"

To this, the soldiers simply exchanged looks with one another – some in confusion, some in awe, some in question – before their eyes settled back at the young ruler's head, and at his flaming orange red hair.

On their way of exiting the forest, Seijuurou could hear a little, weak tweet. The sound was _very _tiny, and had he been not paying attention to the sounds of nature around him, he most likely would've just passed on by. However, upon hearing it – though faint, it reached his ears.

Immediately stopping, he peered down to the ground with an arched eyebrow before both flew up in surprise.

At once, he carefully dismounted.

"Your Imperial Highness? What is the matter?" questioned one of the soldiers as everyone followed suit.

"Hold on a sec," Seijuurou prudently trudged forward to a few blades of grass and came to his knees upon what he saw.

There was a small chick with plain brown feathers trembling on the ground giving weak, little tweets as it gazed up at the towering human over it. Brown eyes were shining with fear. If it were human, Seijuurou could imagine that the poor little thing would most probably be crying.

So for that, he leaned down a bit more and carefully placed his callous hands out in offering. It looked extremely nervous, so for that, his usually big and wide grins was pulled down to a much softer and gentler smile. "It's okay, little guy," he said in a quieter tone. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

It took a little while, but it cautiously stepped into his hands. He slowly brought his hands up to his face; from the size of the little bird, he wondered if it was even old enough to spread its wings and fly yet. He didn't think so, personally. So for that, he questioned, "You fell out of your nest or something?"

Hearing another little chirp, though not as weak and a bit more frantic, Seijuurou looked up at the branch to see that there was what appeared to be a nest of sticks and twigs. Carefully keeping the little chick close to him in one hand as he used the other to support himself onto a branch and hoist up the tree's trunk, he could see that there was another chick in the nest, albeit its feathers were olive green, and its eyes were a brilliant shade of sea green.

"Hey, this your sibling?" Seijuurou asked as he brought his hand up and hoisted it down. When he felt the chick in his hand slip off, he leaned his head up to beam at the two chicks tweeting happily at his face. "There you go…happy? That's good. Just be careful not to fall off the nest until you're old enough to fly, alright? Later, then!" and with that, he simply slid down the thick trunk and when a few inches off the ground, just let go and landed on his feet.

Throughout all of this, the soldiers couldn't help but watch and observe their ruler in complete silence at what he had just done. And when Seijuurou spoke up, his tone now more low and authoritative as he placed forth orders to now come back to the palace, most of them simply smiled to themselves. However _all_ of them complied without question and marched on with their own heads held high among the top of their horses. Loyally riding right behind their young leader who simply looked forward as the sun's bright morning rays already shone down on the whole kingdom.

He was an oddball of sorts, but that was what made him so endearing to them.

* * *

_hitatare = _A two piece clothing that consisted of a kimono top, and wide, flowing trousers that enabled a snug fit underneath armour. Usually contains the _mon _(family or _daimyo _crest). Sword and daggers could be hidden in the _obi_ (sash).

_geta _= Clogs. A type of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground.

_youkai _= Japanese spirits.

**Well, for now we get off of Seijuurou's part and _finally _move on to another character. XD I do enjoy writing with Seijuurou's character, though - I can imagine him being fun-loving, yet at the same time quite bright as well as being a friend to his own men. :3**

**Anyway, stay tuned~ **

**Peace out!  
- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	3. Chapter 2: Étude of Feathered Brother

**Hey again! Well, I've finished with my assignments for now, so now it's time for me to get back on writing! :D**

milkcustard:** I honestly haven't played the games for a while due to me not having any time, nor the money. TT7TT I can definitely see Seijuurou as a captain, soldier or general, but I can also see Seijuurou as an Emperor, too - despite being a dork at times, he's pretty responsible (whipping Samezuka up to shape would obviously be no easy feat XD). :) I hope that you'll enjoy the rest of the story as I continue it~ ;D thank you very much for reviewing! :D****  
**

**Well, our focus from an Emperor this time goes onto another character. **

**Happy reading~! **

* * *

It was a known fact that the palace garden was one of the most beautiful places in the country. Those who were permitted to come and stroll amongst the flowers that bloomed along the edges and cross the small bridges that arched over the clear bodies of crystalline water, would consider it a tremendous honour. The visitors were limited to a number of people.

However, upon the death of the previous Emperor, the palace soon became more open to not just royalty, but others were soon able to visit it. The new Emperor wanted to welcome people and for this, he commanded not to shut away the palace until it was well at night when everyone would retire to bed. Upon this news, people from all around the world would come to admire the silken draperies, the finely painted china vases as well as the scenes of natural beauty.

But after the visitors toured around the palace, they would plead for having exposed to such, they wanted to see more. _"Don't let our trip end,"_ and _"Are you sure there is nothing else?"_ were some of the questions that the visitors would say.

It was during this that a fisherman who was getting along in years would come up to them upon hearing their words, and said, "I can show you the most beautiful thing in all of the country."

Upon hearing this, the visitors were brimming with immense curiosity that was mixed along with excitement and anticipation as they followed the old man into the forest. Searching around a bit, it was upon a lovely spring behind a glade where the sun's ray glinted upon its clear surface that he finally stopped. The visitors marvelled upon the sight, and at first thought that _this _was the sight that they were to see, however grew confused when the fisherman instantly denied that.

"Yes, this place is very beautiful, indeed," the man smiled. "However, that is not what I brought you out here for."

Pointing to the towering tree that had blossoms beginning to bloom upon its branches, it was here that the visitors saw a nightingale among the petals.

His feathers were dapples of olive green and a plain sort of brown while its bright green eyes were staring inquisitively at the people coming in as he tilted his head.

Catching sight of the bird, it was clear to see that majority of the visitors were rather disappointed. Some would question the fisherman if he were surely mistaken or not, and when he responded that he most definitely wasn't, the more vocal ones would grumble in irritation, "Seriously? We came all the way out here just to see some plain bird?"

Hearing this, the nightingale dipped his head underneath one of his wings, seemingly quite embarrassed. Curiously enough, when he peered at the old fisherman, who simply smiled gently and encouragingly at him, he then removed his wing from his face, and opened his beak.

Straight away, a pure and strong voice immediately flowed around the air – starting on a long vibrato note that trailed off after a few seconds. When the visitors heard that note, they instantly hushed down to listen closely. And soon, the air was filled with beautiful music; the voice raising higher and some parts with spectacular and much grander notes, but also settle down to soft and soothing ones. Either way, it was very obvious that the bird had truly captured the visitors' attentions, and they would marvel and applaud as soon as the nightingale finished with its song. After that, the nightingale would dip his head underneath his wing again – embarrassed again, it seemed.

It soon became a common occurrence for the nightingale to fly to the springs and expect his fisherman friend to come with some group of visitors that wanted to hear him. Of course, he didn't mind at all. However, it _did _at times tend to tire him as some of the visitors would request for him to sing another song. There were also the rare, pushy ones that even outright _demanded_.

"You can just come again tomorrow," the fisherman would speak up before things came out of hand. "The poor nightingale can feel tired, too. You don't want him to lose his voice, do you?"

Upon hearing that, they would leave straight away.

And every time, the fisherman would immediately turn in the bird's direction before asking soothingly, "I hope you are alright, my friend. I hope they did not scare you. It is unfair for them to demand like that."

* * *

It was one day however that the nightingale couldn't come over to the springs despite knowing that the fisherman may be there waiting with some visitors.

However, he couldn't just leave the nest – not with his parents flying off to converse with the other birds about something important, it seemed. And with two little siblings that were only a month or so old, he couldn't leave; what if something happened to them while his mother and father were gone? What if something came and tried to attack them? They were pretty helpless in this youthful state.

But, upon his sister chirping that she was feeling rather peckish, and her twin brother agreeing as well, he took off from the nest after telling them to stay put. Flying around to gather some seeds at a lovely field that was right beside his fisherman friend's house. The kind, old man and his little wife welcomed him whenever he came to gain some seeds for his family. In fact, it really wasn't just him, but birds in general – they were welcomed warmly in the fields, and were permitted to eat and take as much as they wanted as it seemed that the seeds were becoming bountiful.

Of course, he did stop by the spring just to check if the fisherman was there; he was worried that maybe a visitor had done something, but he saw that there was no fisherman there.

However, there _was _a cat with black fur who was in the spring, swimming with legs moving around.

And for that, he flew over, despite the fact that most birds would rather flee the scene if they ever saw a cat in their line of sight.

"Haru-chan," the nightingale chirped as he landed softly onto a rock.

"Cut the chan."

Tucking his wings in, the nightingale however paid no heed, and tilted his head before giving a little chuckle, "Haruka, I see you're taking a dip in the spring."

The cat simply craned his head around; a pair of intense cerulean orbs fixating on the bird with a stoic expression, "Obviously." Paddling up to the edge, his ear twitched, "And you, I see you're obviously not entertaining a group of humans."

The nightingale shook his head, "No. My parents went off to meet with others."

"About what?"

The olive-feathered nightingale simply gave a small shrug, "Not sure, really. But it's an all birds meeting. That's all I know, really…"

"All birds, huh?" Haruka gave a blink. "I see…" emerging from the spring, he shook a bit, causing his bird companion to give a little twitter upon getting sprayed by droplets of water before licking his paw. "How are Ren and Ran, by the way? I haven't seen the twins in quite a while now." He began brushing it across his ear as he started washing himself.

The bird himself shivered as he shook the droplets out from his feathers. "Well, they're doing fine," he responded. "They can't wait to fly from the nest and explore, though. Especially Ren."

"He better be careful," Haruka remarked a bit tonelessly. "I doubt his wings are close to anywhere as large as yours."

"You're right," the nightingale nodded. "His wings haven't grown out properly yet, but he's definitely excited in learning how to fly."

"And who will teach him to do so?" wondered Haruka, his long tail swaying slightly. "Will it be your father or you yourself?"

"Honestly…" here, the bird trailed off before tilting his head. "I'm not so sure on that one, either. If the meetings between the birds continue on, then it'll most likely be me to teach them both how to fly. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure my dad will be happy to do it; after all, he taught _me _how to fly."

"Good point," Haruka meowed once he finished washing himself. "But how about you?" this time, he tilted his head and gazed deeply at the bird just close to him. "How are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?" the nightingale simply gave a chirping laugh. "I'm fine, Haru! Thank you for asking, though."

"If you say so," the cat scowled a bit. "It's just that with all the visitors that come here, and that you perform to…it _is _quite a lot. You are not tired by it?"

"Tired?" the bird shook his head. "No, actually. Though I _do _feel a bit embarrassed at singing in front of them, I know that the kind fisherman is just there near me, and that he'll always lend me support. He's always there to stand up for me, and make me feel comfortable. And besides, I know that you're there to support me as well – you're there, you just don't like being around crowds."

The black furred feline's whiskers twitched, "That is true, too." This time, he stretched out a bit, back arching and his forelegs reaching out, "Where were you flying off to, anyway?"

"To get some food," the olive-feathered bird answered back. "I was going to fly to the fields and get some seeds."

"Makes sense," Haruka said simply before moving his body backwards again. Then, after he was done with his stretching, he immediately began to settle into the water again.

"Another dip already?" the nightingale laughed. "You just got out!"

"You know by now that I cannot help it," replied the cat, his blue orbs glowing with a resolute flame that betrayed his stoic expression. "I simply love the water. I can't have enough of it, nor do I want to."

Haruka was certainly an odd cat – most of his species absolutely _hated_ getting their paws or whiskers drenched, and just mentioning the word _'water'_ would make them cringe or shudder. But not Haruka, though. The black-furred cat was actually a regular occupant of the springs, and whenever the word _'water' _was uttered, he would immediately perk his head up in interest as his sapphire eyes glowed in eagerness, while his ears pricked up to pay extra attention. Haruka could most definitely stay at the spring for hours. In fact, any body of water was _not _safe from the black cat.

"Yes, yes, I know," the bird tweeted. "And I'm not discouraging it at all. Everyone has their likes and dislikes; your like happens to be swimming and the water, mine is singing." Stretching his wings out, he spoke up, "I better go and gather some seeds now – I can't keep the twins waiting. Well, see you later, Haru! Hope you have a fun time swimming in the spring's water."

The feline nodded as his whole body began to submerge into the crystal clear surface of the lake. He mewed just as the nightingale took off from his place on the rock and flew away.

"See you later, Makoto."

* * *

He was welcomed as usual from the fisherman's wife, who had actually said a bit absent-mindedly to herself that her husband had gone out to sea with his crew this time and were out catching fish for the village's market. Hearing this made Makoto relax; he was certainly glad that the old man hadn't bumped into any of the rowdier or more aggressive visitors who demanded for his singing.

Coming back to the nest with a generous amount of seeds for the twins after eating one or two while he was at the fields himself, he chirped, "Ren, Ran, I'm home."

"_Nii-chan_! _Onii-chan_!" hearing those chirpy, little voices certainly made him smile. He was definitely glad that nothing had happened to them while was gone.

"How were you two?" the nightingale, Makoto, asked gently as he simply placed down the morsels among the twigs. "I hope nothing had happened while I was away for a bit."

"Nope!"

There was still something about how the two youngsters had responded that made the older bird a bit suspicious. Maybe it was because their wings were tucked in even more tightly to their little bodies, or from how they were looking up at him while slightly rocking about a bit. Either way, he raised his head slightly and tilted it; emerald eyes bearing down at them closely.

They peered right back at him with their own beady, little pairs of eyes.

It was a little bit of a moment as Makoto had picked up one seed with his talons before finally Ren shook his head, "I-I'm really sorry…but…"

"What happened?"

"It was all Ren's fault!" chirped Ran as she flapped her wings a couple of times.

"H-hey!" her twin chirped back, looking noticeably flustered.

"You mean…" Makoto's eyes widened a bit. "You actually tried to-"

"You know you're not old enough to fly yet!"

Here, Ren seemed even more embarrassed, "A-and how would you even know that?"

"Duh, our wings are too small!" Ran stretched out one of her petite, olive green feathered wings out for emphasis. "Mama and papa told us that we were too small to fly!" She turned to her older brother, "Ren tried to fly".

Ren was grumbling in response as he nudged at his twin sister with his foot. However, she promptly ignored him, "He was standing at the edge of the nest and tried to fly out of it, but obviously, he wasn't able to! He didn't land too far, though."

"Ren!"

The brown-feathered chick recoiled a bit, raising one of his wings up to his tiny beak as if trying to hide his face. He certainly seemed very embarrassed of what happened, "I'm really sorry, _nii-chan_…it's just…" he shuffled his feet slightly on the spot before putting his wings down. "I wanna fly! I wanna fly like you and mama and papa! It looks so fun and it must be awesome to go to other places! I wanna see what the kingdom looks like! I wanna go and see the Emperor's gardens!"

"Me, too!" Ran tweeted happily in agreement. "The older birds keep saying that it's really beautiful over there, and there are so many berries growing! Is that really true, _nii-chan_?"

"Yeah, is it?"

A sigh escaped from Makoto's beak as he shook his head before sweeping his larger wing across his head as if he were trying to rub his temples. However, he seemed in a better mood as he bowed his head down to look at them more closely, "To be honest, I've never been at the Emperor's gardens myself." Seeing the disappointment clearly evidenced on their faces, Makoto chirped quickly, "But the fisherman had; he told me what it was like in there. Would that be okay with you two?"

The both of them perking up with their eyes sparkling was enough of an answer for the older nightingale.

So for that, Makoto gave a small chuckle before nodding his head towards the seeds that were lying in wait on a corner of the large nest. "How about you both eat your seeds, and while you do that, I'll tell you what the kind fisherman told me. Then, maybe we can all try and imagine as to what the Emperor's garden is like. Would that be alright?"

His response was the both of them hop on over to the seeds while placing their collective attentions back on him.

Makoto again gave another chuckle before beginning on the old, kindly human's recount of the Emperor's garden. Of all the beautiful trees that stood proudly with fruits hanging from their branches; several softly coloured blossoms that were hanging with the leaves; some glittering streams that ran along the gardens in order to keep all of the flora flourished and thriving…

By the time he was finished, Ren and Ran looked awestruck, and even more excited than before. Even Makoto himself felt a curiosity spark within him in regards to the Emperor's garden. To animals, it really wasn't a difficult feat to get in – for birds in particular, it was very easy. However, from what Makoto had heard from his old fisherman friend, the Emperor had warmly welcomed his subjects and any newcomers or visitors of the country to come inside of his garden and enjoy themselves.

Speaking of the Emperor, the nightingale wasn't sure what sort of a man he was like, either. That was one of the only subjects that the old fisherman was not completely sure about, however what he _did _know was that the current Emperor was still rather young – though not a child anymore, he was still of a young age. Despite that, he seemed to be taking care of everything in stride, and was of the peaceful sort as there were no mentions or says at all about war, or going around the region to discover other towns and countries, and try to invade them.

Either way, Makoto was glad that there wasn't any thirst for blood – predators were bad enough as it is. A kingdom soaked in blood and torn with war would just make things worse. Gazing at his younger siblings who seemed tired all of a sudden, he shut his eyes a little – it would be frightening if a war were to happen, and they were caught in the middle. Sometimes nature tended to be just thrown in the array.

However, when his eyes were fixed onto the twins, it was then that Makoto realized something. Perking up, he blinked before questioning, "Ren, Ran?"

"Yes, _onii-chan_?"

"I was wondering – how _did _you end up back in the nest, Ren? You didn't fly up here, did you?"

"He wishes," giggled Ran.

Ren instantly bumped at her with his whole body, which caused her to bump back. They both stopped however when their older brother called their names. However, it was the brown-feathered chick who responded, "Well…there was a human…"

Makoto quirked his head a bit, "A human? And…what did this human do?"

"He let me go on his hand," chirped Ren. "Then he climbed our tree and put me back in the nest!"

"He was really, _really _big!" added Ran. "And his had really brightly-coloured hair! It was all orangey and red at the same time! You know, like how the sky is when it's sunset?"

"I noticed his eyes more," twittered Ren. "They were really pretty – the colour reminds me of honey!"

A human with sunset hair and honey eyes? That certainly sounded _very _strange to Makoto. However, it really didn't matter what the human looked like; he had placed Ren back into the nest, and had he not been around, then…the older nightingale shuddered – he _really _did not want to imagine just _what _would've happened if the human wasn't there while he was away for a bit.

He was just thankful that there were nice humans.

* * *

**And yes, Makoto is indeed the nightingale that Seijuurou was dreaming about in the Prologue. To those who've read **_The Emperor and the_ _Nightingale_**, it would've been pretty obvious...XD I honestly don't know why, but I can imagine Makoto as a nightingale - especially after looking up pictures on what a Japanese nightingale looks like. 83**

**I was originally going to take out the honorifics, but it seemed weird not having them there, so I decided to leave them in. If they do annoy you, just say so, and I'll take them out. :)**

**Stay tuned~**

**Peace out!  
- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


End file.
